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Australia (Allocene)
After the mass extinction, much of Australia's giant wildlife have gone extinct. This includes kangaroos, emus, crocodiles and several other endangered species. Also, some creatures have faced a severe decline, including numbats and koalas, due to lack of food and competition with placentals. Despite this, Australia of the future is rather diverse in fauna, especially in the marsupial family. The outback is unrecognizable by 25 million years AME and is way more lush than in the present day. In fact, most of the outback is open grassland littered with trees similar to the Aciaca trees of Africa. On the coasts, near Queensland, mangrove forests line the shore which make somewhat of a maze that is flooded about 1.5 meters (4–5 feet). The mangroves here are much taller than their ancestors and they merge with a rainforest filled with all sorts of unique creatures. Lastly, flood waters has caused the Spencer Gulf to swell and form a shallow sea. In this sea, sharks and sea-faring water monitors have evolved to fill the roles of the apex predators of the region. Central Grasslands As said in the paragraph above most of Australia is now covered in sprawling grassland. Trees here look similar to African savannah trees and play a similar role in the welfare of the creatures of this lush, new outback. Large carnivores like the dingoes have gone extinct, which has caused an arms race to see which creature can take over the apex predator niche the fastest. Some of the creatures native to the central grasslands are: Mammals *'Quolleo' – Descended from the carnivorous quolls, quolleos have evolved to take on the role of large predators and have forced the dingoes to extinction. They greatly resemble the ancient Thylacoleo and behave in a similar manner. Quolleos have small saber-teeth, which are used to slice open the throat of their prey. These beasts can grow anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 meters (5–8 feet) long. *'Wombeasts' – Growing to the size of a small car, these creatures are the largest species in Australia. Wombats have evolved to take on a role left behind by most domesticated cattle and buffalo. They have stopped their burrowing behavior and travel the grasslands in small herds. Wombeasts also have skin that's really thick, which provides protection from sharp spines and claws. *'False aurochs and leparlope' – Both descended from the invasive rabbits and hares of the outback, leparlopes and false aurochs are both grazers native to the grassland. The false aurochs is very cow-like in appearance and have become a much more heavy-set grazer. leparlope, on the other hand, fill the niche left behind by the deer that once inhabited the outback. These beasts are fast sprinters and are a prime source of food for the 1uolleos. *'Tankidna' – The tankidna is a unique insectivore descended from the echidna. This creature's quills form a thick layer of skin that shields the tankidna from potential threats. Tankidnas have evolved to dine on the giant termites of the outback and is built like a giant anteater. It lays its eggs in abandoned termite mounds and, just in case, its eggs are covered with a vile substance that is putrid to predators. Reptiles and Amphibians *'Devil dragon' – Another predator of the grasslands, devil dragons have evolved from the perentie monitor and have maintained a similar hunting style. Like its cousin, the komodo dragon, Devils have venomous saliva which can leave a wound open for nearly a day. These creatures can grow to immense sizes, nearly reaching the size of its ancestor the Megalania. *'Venomolo' – Descended from the thorny devil, Venomolos can pack a serious punch. These creatures are mainly insectivores, but most of the time they would go after small prey items like mammals and birds. If attacked by a predator, the Venomolo has a unique weapon in its spines. The spines secrete a toxin that reacts with the predators stomach acids, this causes the creature to become violently sick. Coastal Mangroves and Rainforests Australia's coastline in the future is dense with mangroves and other aquatic plants. These forests continue for miles and eventually merge with the grasslands of the outback, where the mangroves transition to towering rainforest trees. Flooding has caused most of the mangrove forests to be partly flooded, in some places by about 1.5 meters (5 feet). Some of the creatures native to the coastal mangroves and rainforests are: Mammals *'Foliroo' – This family of arboreal marsupials is descended from the tree kangaroos native to the coasts. Growing up to almost a meter tall (3 feet), these creatures live their whole life in tree clusters close to the water. Foliroos have extremely strong back legs and can jump from tree to tree. This behavior sometimes makes these creatures prey to the aquatic predators of these flooded forests. *'Battras and lumbrixes' – Descended from Australian bats, these creatures have become very adapted to living in these flooded forests. Battras are a family of bats that have evolved to take over insectivorous and herbivorous roles. Lumbrixes are large, carnivorous bats that can emit pulses of light, which can be used to communicate. Lumbrixes are the larger of these two families, reaching up to wingspans of 3 meters (10 feet). * Australian dirats – Also known as dire rats, this subspecies of dirat is slightly smaller than its cousins in the Americas and Asia. Australian dirats face competition with forest zuolleo, the dominant predatory species. Only growing to just above a meter (a mere 4 feet) in length, these beasts rely heavily on numbers to fend off predators. Australian dirats live and hunt in packs of 6, which gives them an advantage over a single foe. Birds *'Dacicons' – Descended from the kookaburra, dacicons are a group of large, stork-like omnivores. Dacicons have long, muscular legs which allow them to wade in the swampy water of the mangrove forests. These giant birds can grow up to 2 meters (6 feet) tall, and has kept its ancestors infamous cackle. This cackle is used to intimidate predators and to call mates. Fish *'Brasshead Sharks' – Descended from bullhead sharks, brassheads are the largest predatory fish native to the Pacific. Brassheads are named after their large, thick head which is nearly 1/3 the creature's total length. These huge sharks eat all sorts of prey, including animals that have fallen out of the mangrove forests. Brassheads can grow anywhere from 6 to 9 meters (20–30 feet), and have a very serpentine body shape. Category:The Allocene